Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred made controversial comments during a Thursday press conference about the Oakland Athletics’ planned move to Las Vegas and fans’ recent “reverse boycott.:
“I feel sorry for the fans in Oakland. I do not like this outcome,” Manfred told reporters. “I understand why they feel the way they do. I think the real question is, what is it Oakland was prepared to do? There is no Oakland offer, OK? They never got to a point where they had a plan to build a stadium at any site. And it’s not just John Fisher. … The community has to provide support. At some point you come to the realization it’s just not going to happen.”
Casey Pratt of ABC7 asked the Oakland Mayor’s office for a response to the commissioner’s comments and the office called them “totally false.”
I reached out to the Oakland Mayor’s office for a response to the Commissioner’s Comment. https://t.co/JHjSu3QbFk pic.twitter.com/45YzJiylf1
— Casey Pratt (@CaseyPrattABC7) June 15, 2023
“This is totally false,” the statement read in part. “There was a very concrete proposal under discussion and Oakland had gone above and beyond to clear hurdles, including securing funding for infrastructure, providing an environmental review and working with other agencies to finalize approvals.
“The reality is the A’s ownership had insisted on a multibillion-dollar, 55-acre project that included a ballpark, residential and commercial space.”
The MLB world was quick to lambast Manfred for the out-of-touch comments:
It's also worth noting that no matter how hard Manfred tries to be ambassadorial, he's actually a petty and shitty little man. It comes through fairly often, actually. Like here. He's just a bad guy all around and many in the game know it. https://t.co/L8qlqK91H1
— Craig Calcaterra (@craigcalcaterra) June 15, 2023
This is an objectively shitty and hostile thing to say.
Ownership purposefully deflated fan interest and attendance.
Now you have a city losing its third pro team in a handful of years. They're clearly hurting and you got out of your way to make THIS comment. What an asshole https://t.co/q5esc3oBij
— Ben Koo (@bkoo) June 15, 2023
Man, it’s one thing to see the team move, but the outright contempt for A’s fans from both the team and the league makes me think I’m just out on baseball altogether.
— Megan Greenwell (@megreenwell) June 15, 2023
It’s history repeating – they did the same thing to Montreal and Tampa and Milwaukee could be next
— James (@GayBaseballFan) June 15, 2023
What a goblin. What an absolute goblin. https://t.co/l8FvjF70YJ
— Grant Brisbee (@GrantBrisbee) June 15, 2023
